Its getting a bit cold here in illinois. Just want to ask all of you that have seen cold winters in your JK. What should I prep for this will be my first time in a JK in the winter time. Since I still have time till we see snow just want to make sure im/were prepared. I have a 2.5in lift with 35. Thanks to all

 

The JK is a pretty good winter machine. Make sure your fluids are good, your battery is strong and any cracked hoses are taken care of, and it will serve you well. Gets down to around -30 here and no problems yet, other than the shifter being very stiff for the first few miles at that temperature.

Be prepared to stop and scrape the corners of the windshield because of the crappy defroster design. And I am also going to try to run heat to the back seat this year with some temporary piping so the kids don't freeze too badly. Front passengers do fine since the heater blasts pretty well, but when it is really cold nothing gets to the back.

And change the washer fluid from bug wash to anti-freeze type fluid.

I also air down a bit in the winter to around 28 psi.

 

Awesome, awesome thank you.

 

What about utensils, blankets, extra stuff etc? Not sure what to name

 

Your heater will run you out even with a soft top. About the only thing I will say to prepare for winter is to buy some slush mats for the floor. Maybe a can of WD-40 to spray on a rag and wipe the door seals only in the event of an ice storm to prevent the seals from sticking. Other than that enjoy the winter and hope for snow...

 

I put synthetic gear oil in the diffs.........made a big difference. Plus having a block heater really helps out when it's down around -20.

 

Us Canuckleheads know a bit about the winter. Here's a few links to some pretty decent winter vehicle info:
ht tp://www.getprepared.gc.ca/prod/tp/tp201012-eng.aspx

Basic Winter Emergency Kit (PDF)
ht tp://www.getprepared.gc.ca/_fl/crkt-eng.pdf

Basic Winter Vehicle prep
ht tp://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/safevehicles-safetyfeatures-winterdriving-tips-700.htm

The best winter driving tip is to respect the weather conditions and slow down to match them.

- Slush mats, a small hand scraper, a larger snow brush/scraper (make sure the brush has soft bristles or you will put micro-scratches in your paint).

- If you find the windshield is frosting up on the inside after the Jeep's been sitting in the sun, try leaving a window on each side down just slightly (like 1/4") to allow the condensation from your breath and melting snow to escape.

- You will get annoyed at how the corners of the windshield never defrost and the wiper blades "chunking up" with ice because of the absolutely horrible front/side defroster design. (I have a 2008 so these may have fixed it with the newer interiors.)

 

Stay away from the expensive slush mats. I went to Canadian Tire, bought a set of 2 deep slush mats for $19 and cut them to size. Beats paying $50 or more for name brand stuff.

 

Ensure you have a block heater installed. It gets pretty chilly in your neck of the woods. Keep in mind, when Canadian's post the temperature, it is in celcius.
cdnjpDan gave a pretty comprehensive list of anything you could need.
Drive to the conditions of the road, we really are not invincible in our jeep's.

 

Now that we know what I need what about to help others. Nothing to big but just in case